Siphon.



No.873,9 61. PATPNTED DEG.17, 1907. w. s. SHIELDS.

SIPHON. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

rut nouns rxrlns cm. \nsnmaron. u c.

w. s. SHIELDS.

SIPHON.-

urmoumn run mm 10, 190a.

2 SHEE'ISB'HEHT 2.

run nmuus PETERS co., wuuiucran. m c.

PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907.

WILLIAM SHIELDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SIPHON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1'7, 1907.

Application filed June 19. 1906. Serial No; 322.361-

channel, or into another tank or receptacle when the liquid in the tank first aforesaid reaches a predetermined level, the construction of the siphon being such that it will be automatically primed when the liquid reaches said level. A familiar instance of such a use of a siphon as is here referred to is the discharging of the contents of a dosing tank into a filter bed, or the discharging of the contents of one filter bed into another filter bed, or into a final-discharge channel in systems for the septic treatment of sewage, but I desire to have it understood that the invention is not limited to siphons used for this particular purpose. On the contrary, it may be embodied in any siphon used for antomatically discharging the contents of a receptacle when the liquid in such receptacle rises to a given level.

The object of the invention is to provide a siphon of improved construction, and, more particularly stated, one having its parts compactly arranged and having controllable means for conditioning it to operate when the liquid in the receptacle reaches any desired predetermined level.

To these ends, the invention consists in the features of novelty that are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof, and in which,

The figure is a vertical central section of a siphon embodying the invention, 'a portion of the tank or receptacle, the contents of which are to be discharged or drawn off through the siphon, being also shown.

A represents the tank or receptacle, and B the siphon, as a whole. The siphon consists of a pipe B which extends upward into the receptacle for a suitable distance and an inverted cup or bell B which is placed over the upper open end of the pipe B so as to leave between the sides of the pipe and the bell an annular space I) which constitutes the intake or short leg of the siphon. The pipe B constitutes the long leg of the siphon and the bell is continued downward to form the downtake leg C of. a deep-seal trap, the up-take leg C of which may discharge into any suitable channel. The structure thus far described, as a whole, maybe regarded as a siphon having a deep-seal trap, the siphon comprising so much of the structure as is above the normal or over-fiow level of the trap, while the trap comprises so much of the structure as is below said level.

D is a ipe which passes through the top of and is therein permanently secured so as to be supported thereby, the bell itself being supporte by webs b, which rest upon the top of the long leg of the siphon. The upper end of this pipe carries a stuffing box E through which passes a pipe F, both ends of which are open. The stuffing box forms a liquid and air tight joint around the pipe but at the same time permits it to be adjusted vertically so as to bring its lower end to a higher or lower level for a purpose that will appear presently, the pipe being of such length that its up er end will at all times be above the level 0 the liquid in the receptacle. The lower end of the pipe F terminates at a point between the over-flow level of the siphon trap and the level of the bottom of the dividing wall between the two legs of the trap. The lower end of the pipe D is pro vided with a cap through which passes a pipe G, the lower end of which is in open communication with the interior of the siphon trap, and the upper end of which is in open communication with the interior. of the pipe F, said upper end being at a level above the over-flow level of the siphon trap. Above this over-flow level the pipe D is provided with an opening d through which the annular space between the ipes D and F is in open cplmmunication wit the long leg of the sion. P At a point between the top of the bell B and the stuffing box E one end of a bent pipe H communicates with the annular space between the pipes D and F, whence it proceeds outward over the top of the bell and thence downward to a level slightly above the level of the bottom of the bell, so that its lower end being 0 en is in communication with the interior o the receptacle.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that the siphon trap is primed to its over-flow level, and that the liquid is standing in the pipes D, F and G at said level,

as the water rises in the receptacle it will first seal the lower end of the short leg of the siphon. As it continues to rise, the air will be expelled from the short leg of the siphon into the long leg, thence through the opening d into the pipe D, and thence through the pipe H into the receptacle (or, in other words, to the atmosphere) until the level of the liquid in the receptacle reaches and seals the lower end of the pipe H. By reason of the liquid seal in the siphon trap and in the pipes D and F, the air will be trapped in the siphon and in the pipe H. As the liquid continues to rise in the receptacle it will also rise in the short leg of the siphon and compress the trapped air and the pressure of this air on the liquid in the down-take leg of the siphon trap will force the level of said liquid downward. By reason of the open communication between the siphon and the annular space between the pipes D and F the air will enter said space and in like manner force the level of the liquid in said space downward at the same rate. The liquid thus displaced from the annular space between the pipes D and F will flow upward through the-annular space between the pipes F and. G, and, over-flowing the upper end of the pipe G, will flow downward therethrough and into the siphon trap. As the pressure continues to increase, the level of the liquid in the siphon trap and in the pipes D and F willbe depressed until it reaches and passesthe level of the lower end of the pipe F which level may be taken as the level from which the depth of the liquid seal in the pipes D and F is measured. The annular space between the pipes F and G being thus emptied of liquid, the air will flow upward through the pipe F and'escape at the upper end thereof, thus releasing the trapped air from the siphon and permitting the siphon to be primed and put in operation. The contents of the receptacle will then be discharged or drawn off through the siphon until the siphonic action is broken by the falling of the level of the liquid in the receptacle to a level below the intake level of the short leg of the siphon. Slightly before this low level of the liquid is reached the lower end of the pipe H will be unsealed and air from the receptacle (atmosphere) will pass upward through said.

pipe into the pipe D, and thence through the opening cl into the siphon so as to insure the reducing of the pressure within the siphon to that of the atmosphere. Under this condition the liquid in the siphon and its trap and also in the pipes D, F and G, will subside to the over-flow level of the siphon trap.

It will be seen that the pipe H and so much of the pipe D as is located above the levelof the opening d constitute what may appropriately be called a revent, the only function of which is to insure the return of air into the upper portion 'of the siphon after the discharging operation is completed. This revent forms no part of the present invention, and

so far as the essence of the present invention is concerned all of that portion of the pipe D which is located above the opening d, and which has been denominated the revent may be dispensed with. It will be seen, also, that so much of the pipe D as is located below the level of the opening d, taken in connection with the pipe F, forms a vent for permitting the escape of the trapped air from the siphon and that so much of the pipes D, F and G as overlap each other form a trap in the vent, by which the trapped air is confined in the siphon until the head of liquid in the receptacle exceeds in depth the depth of the seal in the trap of the vent, or in other words, the depth of the liquid standing in the pipe F between its lower end and the upper end of the pipe G, which latter is merely a drain pipe for carrying off the liquid which is displaced from the annular space between it and the pipe F. In other words, the annular space between the pipes D and F constitutes the down-take leg. of the vent trap while the annular space be tween the pipes F and G constitutes the uptake leg of said vent trap. It is manifest, that as heretofore suggested, if the pipe F be moved downward so as to increase the length of the legs of the vent trap, it would be necessary for the liquid in the receptacle to reach a correspondingly higher level before the seal of the vent trap is forced, and the converse of this will be true if the pipe F is moved upward so as to decrease the length of the two legs of the vent trap.

In order to bring about the commencement of the siphonic action at the instant, or thereabouts, that the liquid in the receptacle reaches a given level, it is necessary that the seal of the siphon trap be deeper than the hydrostatic column of liquid in the receptacle will force the siphon trap and the result of this might be a slow over-flowing of the liquid without starting siphonic action. It is also necessary that the seal of the vent trap be shallower than the seal of the siphon trap and slightly shallower than the height of the hydrostatic column of the liquid in the receptacle when it shall have reached the level at which it is desired siphonic action shall commence. It is also necessary that the bottom, or the active portion of the bottom of the vent trap-be above the bottom or the-active portion of the bottom of the siphon trap, else the seal of the siphon trap will be the first to be forced by the risind of the liquid in the receptacle.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic siphon having a trap, an air vent having a down take leg and an uptake leg communicating. at bottom to'form a trap for confining air in the upper part of the siphon, the downtake leg being in communication with the siphon and the uptake leg being open to atmosphere for the escape of air,

a drain pipe communicating with the uptake leg and extending downward from the point of communication, the two legs of the vent trap being relatively adjustable for the purpose of varying the depth of the seal in the said vent trap and therefore determining the height of the hydrostatic column necessary to force said seal and permit the escape of air from the siphon, substantially as described.

2. An automatic siphon having a trap, an air vent having a downtake leg and an uptake leg communicating at bottom to form a trap for confining air in the upper part of the siphon, the downtake leg being in communication with the siphon and the uptake leg being open to atmosphere for the escape of air, the uptake leg of the vent being adjustable vertically relatively to the downtake leg for the purpose of varying the depth of the seal in the vent trap and thereby determining the height of the hydrostatic column required to force said seal and permit the escape of air from the siphon.

3. An automatic siphon having a trap, an air vent having a downtake leg and an uptake leg communicating at bottom to form a trap for confining" air in the upper part of the siphon, said uptake leg being located partly within the siphon and partly above it, the top of the siphon being provided with an opening through which said uptake leg passes,

and means for adjustably securing said uptake leg in said opening whereby it may be moved'up or down relatively to the downtake leg for varying the depth of the seal-in the vent trap, and thereby determining the height of the hydrostatic column required for forcing the seal of the vent trap and permit the escape of air from the siphon, su as described.

4. A siphon having a trap, a vent pipe having a down-take leg and an up-take leg communicating at bottom to form a trap, the uptake leg extending both above and below the top of the siphon and its lower portion being located within the down-take leg, the downtake leg being in communication with the siphon and the up-take leg being open above the siphon for the escape of air, a drain communicating with the up-take leg, the up-take leg being adjustable relatively to the downtake leg for the purpose of varying the depth of the seal in the trap, substantiallyas described.

5. A siphon having a trap, a ventpipe having a down-take leg communicating with the siphon, means for closing the lower end of the down-take leg, an up-take leg extending both above and below the top of the siphon, the lower portion of said up-take leg being within the down-take leg,.and a drain pipe passing through the bottom of the down-take leg and extending upward within the up-take leg, substantially as described.

' WILLIAM S. SHIELDS.

Witnesses:

L. M. HOPKINS, JAMES W. Cox.

stantially 

